Bus Drives Cardiff to Win

Cardiff City enjoyed a big win at the bottom of Division One as they defeated Bumerang 1-0. With the hosts sitting just above them in the table, Cardiff knew this was a big opportunity to move out of the relegation zone and they wouldn’t let it slip by. The fact that so much was riding on the game was illustrated by a first-half which had no chances with much of it played in the middle of the park. Bumerang would show some intent at the start of the second-half but Joseph Heffer’s diving header went wide and they would soon find themselves behind. Marco Busquets would drive in a thumping shot on 57 minutes to give Cardiff a lead they would never relinquish. Sammy Shepherd would hit a bicycle kick close for the hosts while Osorio Sao side-footed a shot just wide for the visitors. The final chance would go to the hosts as they sought to pinch a point but Rikard Lind’s free-kick was off-target and they would fall to a disappointing home defeat. Coolbooy will need to lift his troops ahead of the visit of the Smurfs and some shooting practice might be in order for a team who have only netted eight times so far this term. Uwfb will be pleased with this blow, especially as it comes ahead of a difficult trip to the leaders on Tuesday.

Bonkers would also slip further into trouble as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at Carthage FC. With both sides struggling for wins of late this had all the makings of a nervy encounter. Carthage would make the more positive start but Hamilcar Barca’s lob was punched away. Stefan Beelenkamp responded with a header for the visitors but that was tipped over by Dido and Carthage took advantage. Hannibal Barca would prove the hero as he placed a header beyond Hawke to put his side 1-0 ahead. Innocenzio Filippinetti tried to restore parity but Dido saved at his feet as the forward tried to round him and this would keep Carthage in front at the break. The second-half saw the visitors increase the pressure with Mauri Taddei lobbing a header off the bar before Beelenkamp put a header of his own wide. They would still force one more opportunity to win a point but Beelenkamp’s free-kick would be blocked by Dido and the points belonged to Carthage. Blakey500 will have been pleased with a victory which has given them a bit more breathing space from the bottom three and they will be hopeful of following up at home to Kensington next. GarethLloyd has seen his side lose and win games in groups this season and he will need another run of victories to pull clear of the dreaded drop.

AC Milan remain at the bottom of the table after being held to a 1-1 draw by F.C. Greatness. With wins becoming imperative to the home side the fans were looking for a positive performance and they would get it but not the goals to accompany it. Milan saw Lorenzo De Gasperi have a powerful shot saved by Rachao while Faust Baronchelli put a header over at the other end as the game began positively. This would continue with Baronchelli thumping home a free-kick to put the visitors in front on 13 minutes. Savino Piovanelli would try to level for the hosts but his powerful shot was saved by the ‘keeper before Vittorio Cornacchini was also denied by Rachao from a free-kick. Simone Spina would then be thwarted by the best save of the lot as Rachao produced a world-class effort to keep out a steered shot. The second-half would see Milan continue to press and Spina finally got the better of Rachao with a looping header. They might even have taken all three points but Spina saw Rachao punch away his header as the game entered injury-time. Xmensch will have been pleased by the performance but will know his side have to take their chances to escape the bottom three. Darren Calvert will probably think his side escaped with a point here but they will need to perform better as they take on Pahang in a promotion clash next.

Splott extended their lead at the top with a 1-0 victory over Kensington Boys Club. With the home side struggling for confidence, Rovers were hopeful of another successful day and it would turn out that way. Kensington did have the first chance but Aubrey de Vere placed his shot wide and the visitors would take control. Matt Daredevil lobbed over from their first chance while Winston Badger’s chip also had too much on it. Badger would do better with his next chipped effort which found the net but his celebrations were cut short by an offside flag. Still, Splott would remain positive entering the second 45 minutes and they were rewarded by a toe-poke goal from Frank Punisher on 53 minutes. They might have added to their lead on 81 minutes but Denilson Pereira Neves lobbed over although it wouldn’t affect the end result. CM was happy with ‘another win and another clean sheet’ and claimed things could hardly ‘be better really.’ Patrik bemoaned his side’s lack of ‘home advantage factor’ and will hope for better as they travel to Carthage on Tuesday.

Smurftastic Smurfs fell four points behind the leaders as they drew 1-1 at home at African Imitators. Having suffered a couple of injuries the Smurfs were eager to show they could cope without their superstars and they would be unlucky not to pull off a victory. A strong first-half showing saw them create all of the chances with Finlay MacCleir scoring early with a fine header to have them in front. MacCleir would then see a looping header hit the bar before Minoru Hara missed with a header of his own. A free-kick on the stroke of half-time would see Gabriel Islas’ shot held by Handez and the home side would eventually rue not making more of their chances. The Imitators would level with their only chance of the game as Jermaine Jackson showed a cool head to round Moss and slot home on 59 minutes. Still, the Smurfs would have a chance to win the game but Jeremy Cumming couldn’t make his header count and they would have to settle for a point. After the game, Thesmurf explained that ‘holding onto second was the aim for the rest of the season’ and with that in mind they will go to Bumerang looking for three points on Tuesday. Gravitons will be boosted by this point at a tough place to go and with only a point separating them from third they can be confident that an exciting finish awaits them.

AJ Rovers would also move to within a point of the top three as they edged Pahang United 1-0 at AJR Arena. With Pahang holding onto the all-important third spot, AJ knew the importance of this match and would take their chance. Pahang would have chances in the game, though, with Kilian Strongbow firing a free-kick wide on 20 minutes. Sonny Vickerman would respond with a free-kick for the hosts but his effort had far more power and flew into the far corner to put Rovers ahead. The second-half began with another Vickerman free-kick but this time Hussain would prove the equal of it and Pahang would remain competitive. Ray Eastwood would then have a chance to level but his chip was saved before Geraldo Aguiar could only curse his luck as a powerful strike was only stopped by the woodwork. This would prove Pahang’s last chance and AJ had struck a crucial blow in the promotion chase. Rothion will be pleased by his side’s recent form and a home match against Cardiff offers the opportunity to break into the top three once more. MrT will drill into his side that they hold onto that spot at the moment and a home win against Greatness would go a long way to calming any nerves.